From Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to Dispatch, here are the titles that left me in awe this year

Grand Theft Auto VI, probably the most anticipated game of all time at this point, didn’t come out this year (I called that one right!), but that doesn’t mean 2025 was hurting for amazing games to play. In fact, it was the complete opposite: 2025 was stuffed with superb releases, from acclaimed debuts to long-awaited sequels (not GTA VI, obviously, now slated for a Nov. 19 release).

Across hundreds of hours, dozens of games, three very worn controllers and one new PC, these are the games that stood out in a year full of standouts.

A year of stories

Let’s get this out there early: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is far and away my favorite game of the year, and that’s saying something. The debut release from French studio Sandfall Interactive is nigh flawless, from its paintinglike aesthetic to its unforgettable soundtrack and pitch-perfect performances. But it’s the tragically beautiful story Clair Obscur tells — a fantasy adventure about an isolated city, its dying residents and the lengths people will go to save themselves from grief — that makes the game so memorable. 

Read the full story at The Seattle Times.

Photo credit: Maelle is a pivotal character with a can’t-turn-away-from story in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. (Courtesy of Sandfall Interactive)